1. Field of the Invention
Present embodiments relate to an artificial lightweight stone. More specifically, present embodiments relate to a stone system of artificial stone blocks each formed of cement and at least one of expanded polystyrene or expanded glass wherein which have consistent contours about a corner and which also provide a consistent measurement for a series of stone with mathematical relationships extending in a length-wise direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditional stone or manmade stone walls are assembled together in the shape of a wall and typically held together with mortar or with grout between the stones. A wall behind the stone also typically requires a lath material which must be coated with mortar as well. The mortar and lath materials are required due to the weight of the stone or manmade stone which ultimately adds expense and time to jobs. The mortar and lath may also nullify the effects of the structural movement of the building.
Various attempts have been made to use manmade materials which are less expensive and require less labor. Some materials are formed in preformed sheet like structures which are applied to a wall desired to have a stone like faced. However, these preformed sheets or structures do not allow for variation of dimension of the wall. Alternatively stated, these preformed sheets limit dimensional changes of a wall only to some dimension which is a multiple of the base dimension of a single sheet unit. Further when the preformed sheet needs to be cut, this adds difficulty to the project.
Other designs have been used, such as stamped concrete or textured concrete. However, concrete material is extremely heavy and therefore requires additional structure to support the weight of such concrete. Other materials have been formed in an attempt to provide a rock or stone like appearance, however such materials do not appear completely realistic and therefore have not been widely accepted.
Still further, the problem has arisen that the stones must be arranged about a corner. The arrangement of stones often results in two issues. Sometimes, the stones that extend about the corner are sometimes formed to extend through the 90 degree turn. These type stones require an alternate molding process due to the substantially differing depth from the remainder of stones. These stones are difficult to make and more expense per unit both for materials and labor. The molds for these stones are more expensive and the manufacturing time is increased. Moreover, manufacturing consistency varies more whether it be color, dimension or other features.
A second issue is related to dimensional changes of the stones. In normal construction at a corner location, the stones may require cutting in order to provide a proper configuration at the corner. However, for stone systems which are manufactured based on a multiple of some dimension, changing the dimension of one stone, by cutting, may vary the dimension of the series of stones extending from the corner outward. This is problematic if stones are designed with preselected sizes as part of a system.
It would be desirable to overcome these and other deficiencies known in the prior art and provide a lightweight stone like material which may be used at corners locations, and which has improved aesthetics of the stone arrangement at that location, as well as improves manufacturing of such stone while also reducing costs. Additionally, it would be desirable to limit the cutting or otherwise variation of the related stones in the wall so that dimensional changes to a length-wise run of stones are limited or otherwise precluded based on the arrangement at the corner.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.